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SSheets-Sheet 1. H. WEEKS 81E; WOODWARD.

- I NAILING MACHINE.

No. 335,261. Patented Feb. 2, 1886..

(No Model.)

O \A/ITNEEEEE:

3 Sheets-Shet 3.

(No Model.)

H. WEEKS & E. WOODWARD.

NAILING MACHINE. No. 335,261. Patented Feb. 2. 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE WEEKS, 015 BOSTON, AND ERASTUS VVOODIVARD, OF SOMEBVILLE,MASSACHUSETTS; SAID VVOODVVARD ASSIGNOB TO SAID VEEKS.

NAlLlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,261, dated February2, 1886. Application filed September 22, 1885. Serial No. 177,807. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HORACE \VEEKS, of

Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, and ERASTUSWooDwARD, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex, in said State, bothcitizens of the United States, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Nailing-Machines, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide means for forming from a thinmetal plate a nail of peculiar shape, and also for feeding the nail thusformed into a position to be driven, and for driving the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine, aportion of the front of the frame being broken out to show the devicesfor lifting the driver-bar. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine.Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section enlarged upon the line 00 x ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a View in vertical section upon the line 3/ 3 of Fig.3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section upon the line 2 z of Fig. 8. Fig. 6 isaview in elevation of a portion of the nail strip or plate feedingmechanism hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is a vertical section upon theline a: m of Fig. 6. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are detail views.

In order to understand the construction and operation of this machine,it is necessary to provide a short description of the nail plate orstrip used therewith and of the nail made there from.

In Fig. 10, I have represented in elevation the nail plate or strip, andit will be seen that it is a thin plate of one thickness throughout andhaving parallel edges, the plate being of the width of the nail to bemade, and the nail made from this strip or plate is formed or cut fromthe end of the plate, so that the head thereof shall be provided fromthe length of the strip. This is accomplished by cutting out from thestrip asection between the shanks, (see 00, Fig. 10,) and the shape ofthis section and this process of making nails I have made thesubject-matter of a separate application.

The shape of the nail which I prefer to use is well represented in Fig.lO-that is, it has a 1 straight side, atapering side, and a head formedto project from one edge thereof. I prefer that the point he very nearlysharp; but, so far as the mechanism herein described is concerned, I donot limit myself to the especial form or shape of the nail, as it isadapted by varying the cutters and dies to cut from the strip or platenails of any shape.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine.

B is the main shaft, which is supported by the frame, and carries thedriver-pulley b at its outer end.

0 is the driver bar or rod. It supports at its lower end the driver a,which is reciprocated in the driver-way passage or throat 0 upon themovement of the driver bar or rod. The driver-bar is lifted by means ofthe crankpin 0 at the front end of the shaft B, which engages under thesurface of the disk or plate 0 and which is fastened to the driver rodor bar and lifts the same while it is in contact therewith. This plateor disk is so shaped, however, that after the rod or bar has been lifteda sufficient distance it is released from the crank-pin by its movementin relation thereto, and when so released the driver-rod is pulled ormoved forcibly downward by the spring D, which is fastened at d to theframe and at d to the lever (P, the end (1 of which is pivoted to theframe, and the end d rests upon the upper surface, 0', of the driver rodor bar.

\Ve prefer to form the edge or section of the lever which is brought incontact with the upper end of the driver bar or rod rounded, asrepresented in Fig. 1.

In this machine I employ two cutters or devices for forming the nail andsevering it from the strip. The cutter which first operates is adaptcdto sever from the end of the strip the piece or waste, the removal ofwhich forms the head and the taper or bevel of the nail; and after thestrip has thus been acted upon by this cutter it is moved forward to theaction of the second cutter, which completes the nail by severing thepartially-formed end of the strip, and at the same time it moves oradvances the nail into the throat or driver-way beneath the driver.

It will be seen that upon the insertion of the strip or plate in themachine the strip is placed in the strip-holder, so that its end shallbe brought opposite the end of the first cutter, and the first operationof this cutter removes or cuts off the waste from the end of the strip.The strip-holder and strip are then moved forward until the end of thestrip comes in contact with the wall of the lateral passage in thethroat. The second cutter is then reciprocated to sever the completenail from the end of the strip and to advance it to the throat of themachine. The strip-holder and strip are then moved backward to the firstcutter, but while they are being moved backward the stripfeedingmechanism is operated to advance the strip in the holder a distanceequal to the width ofa severed nail, and the machine continues tooperate in this manner. To accomplish this, I use a feed carriage orblock, E, which has a passage or way, 6, of suitable shape, to hold thestrip in a vertical position. This feed carriage or block isreciprocated at proper intervals by means of the cam e on the shaft B,the lever e, which is pivoted at 6 and the lower end, a of which layshold of the feed carriage or block. The feed carriage or block also hasa nail strip or plate clamping device or holder, which is adapted toclamp or hold the strip or plate preferably by its lower and upperedges. Thisclampingdevicecomprises the bearing lug or projection 6 theunder surface of which forms the bearing-shoulder e, and projects intothe feedway 6. Behind this shoulder or bearing-surface is a feed-roll, 6which is supported by the feed carriage or block E, and preferably has aroughened or serrated surface and bears upon the upper edge of thestrip. The lower edge of the strip rests upon the feed-roll 0 which isalso carried by the reciprocating carriage or block E, and it is placed,preferably, midway between the bearing-surface e and the roll 6, so thatthe strip shall be held firmly clamped in the carrier or block.

The roll 6 instead of being directly secured to the block E, is mountedupon a lever or yielding support, 6, which is pivotedat 6" to thereciprocating carrier or block E, and the spring 6, attached at one endto the end 6 of the lever e and at the other end to the carrier-block,serves to hold the feed-roll in contact with the lower edge of thestrip.

We have now described the nail strip or plate holding device and themeans for providing it with a reciprocating movement. It is essential,however, that the nail plate or strip have a forward movement, whichreciprocation of the block or carrier should be equal at least to thewidth of the severed portion of the strip; and to provide the strip withsuch movement I have arranged upon the shaft of the roll 6 the gear 6which is engaged by the gear e upon the ratchet-shaft c. This gear ealso engages the gear a, which in turn engages the gear 6", mounted uponthe lever e", and the gear e" meshes with the gear 0 which in turnengages the gear 6 on the shaft of the lower feed-roll, a It will thusbe seen that the feed-rolls are geared to move the nail plate or stripformed upon the backward movement of the carrier. This feeding movementmust take place, of course, after the nail has been formed and driven;and I accomplish this by mounting on the sta tionary post F a stationarydetent or pawl, f, which is pivoted at f to the post. It is providedwith a shoulder f which comes in contact with the shoulderf of the postto limit the extent of its downward movement, and .the spring f,attached to the pawl and the post, serves to return the pawl or. detentto normal position. The detent or pawl is so hung that its lower end isin line with the movement of the ratchet-wheel 6 and as this wheel isreciprocated with the carrier it follows that upon its backward movementa tooth must come in contact with the end of the pawl or detent, and bythe movement of the carrier or block E cause the ratchet-wheel shaft e'-to be revolved a portion of a revolution, and this of coursecommunicates movement to the feed-rolls and causes them to move thestrip formed in the carrier. The cutting devices for removing the wastefrom the end of the strip and partially forming the nail comprise thestationary cutter G and the reciprocating cutter G. The cutter G has itssurface flush with the vertical surface of the feedway, and the cutter Gis reciprocated in a suitable passage across the feedway and past theend of the cutter G. This movement severs the waste and carries it fromthe feedway to the escape channel or passage 9. The cutter G is held bythe block 9', which is reciprocated in suitable bearings or supports inthe frame of the machine by means of the lever 9 pivoted at and the camg: on the main shaft B. The cutter G is adjusted in its block 9 by meansof the screw The relation which the cutters G and G bear to the feedwayor passage is well shown in Fig. 5. y The cutter G is fastened in placein any desirable way. I

The cutting device for severing the partially formed nail from the endof the strip comprises the cutter H, which is reciprocated at the end ofthe feedway across the same to the throat or driver passage. It iscarried or supported by a suitableblock, h, and is reciprocated by meansof the lever h, pivoted at If, and the cam h This cutter H has astraight cutting surface or edge, and it not only serves to sever thenail from the end of the nail plate or strip, but it also carries itinto the throat or driveway of the machine beneath the driver, and itthen remains stationary during the reciprocation of the driver indriving the nail, I

so that its cutting-surface forms for the time being a part of one ofthe walls of the throat or driver-passage. I

We prefer that the time of the machine be substantially as follows: Uponthe starting of the machine the waste is first severed from the end ofthe strip. It is then moved forward until its front end comes in contactwith the wall across the end of the feed passage. The cutter H is thenimmediately caused to sever the nail uponthe end of the strip and carryit ICO IIO

to the driver, and it remains stationary until the nail has been driven.Meanwhile the feed carrier or plate has been returned to its originalposition and the nail strip or plate fed forward thereon to bring itsfront edge into position to be again operated upon by the first cutter.

In order that the nail strip or plate may be easily placed or removed inthe feeding device, we have provided the eccentric post M, which isattached to the frame, so as to be turned to move its eccentric surfaceagainst the upper arm, 6, of the lever e", and it will be seen that byturning this stud to bring this surface in contact therewith the portionof the lever carrying the feed-roll is moved downward and held locked inthat position, and that upon the turning of the stud to withdraw theeccentric surface the spring a automatically returns the lever and feedroll to their normal position.

Ve do not confine ourselves to the specific devices herein described foroperating the feed-rolls and cutters, but may use any mechanicalequivalent therefor.

\Ve are aware that Patent No. 169,463 to Me- Kay and Fairfield describesa nail-plate-feediug device comprising two feed-pawls, which arereciprocated to advance the strip in a stationary holder to a cuttingdevice, the strip being moved by the pawls in one direction only, and wedo not claimthis method of feeding a nail-strip.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States- 1. The combination, in anailing-machine, of a nail-driver, a reciprocating nail-stripfeedcarriage or block carrying a strip-clamping device, and reciprocatingnail cutting or severing devices forcutting nails in successive orderfrom the end of the strip, all substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

2. The combination, in a nail-machine, of the reciprocating driver andthe horizontallyreciprocating nail plate or strip feed carriage or blockcarrying strip clamping and feeding devices, all substantially as andfor the purposes described.

3. The combination, in a nailing machine, of nail-driving devices, areciprocating nail plate or strip feed carriage or block carrying stripclamping and feeding devices, and two cutters or nail-forming devices,the first of which partially shapes the nails and the second of whichcompletes the nail by severing it from the strip, all substantially asand for the purposes described.

4. The combination, in a nailing machine, of the nail-driver, two nailcutting or forming devices, a reciprocating nail plate or strip feedcarriage or block carrying strip-clamping devices adapted to advance thenail plate or strip from one cutter to the other, and the nail plate orstrip feeding device adapted to automatically advance the plate or stripin the holder a distance equivalent to the width of the nail severedtherefrom. all substantially as and for the purposes described.

In a nailing machine, a reciprocating nail strip or plate holdingdevice, comprising the abutment 0', roll 6 and the supportingroll 0arranged in relation to each other as described, all substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

6. In a nailing-machine, the nail plate or strip holding and feedingdevice, comprising a reciprocating block having the abutment e, andsupporting the feed-rolls e e, the ratchetwheel a connected with thefeed rolls, and the pawl or detent f, all substantially as described.

7. The combination of the abutment or pro ject-ion 0 having thesurfacee, the roll 6, and the movable roll 6*, all substantially as described.

S. The combination of the reciprocating block having a feedway and theabutment or projection 6 having the surface 6", the roll 0 and the roll0 supported by the yielding lever 0, all substantially as described.

9. The combination of the block having the abutment or projection 6having the surface or shoulder 0 the roll 6 with the roll a and meansfor moving it vertically and locking or holding it so removed, allsubstantially as de scribed.

10. The combination, in a nailing-machine, of a reciprocatingnail-driver and the two reciprocating cutters or severing devicesarranged in relation to each other, as specified, mechanism foroperating the same, and suitable strip-feeding devices, whereby in operation one of the cutters is reeiprocated across the line of the feed topartially form the nail upon the nail plate or strip, the nail plate orstrip fed, and the second cutter reciprocated across the end of thefeedway to complete the nail by severing it from the plate or strip, andto carry it from the feedway to the driver, all substantially asdescribed.

11. The combination, in a nailing-machine, of a nail-driver, its throathaving a lateral opening at right angle to the line of the feed of thenail strip or plate, and a reciprocating cutter, and mechanism foroperating the same, whereby it is caused to be moved across the line ofthe feed into the lateral opening of the throat and to form one of thewalls of the throat while the nail is being driven, all sub stantiallyas and for the purposes described.

HORACE WEEKS. ERASTUS WVOODiVARD. Vitnesses:

FRED. B. DOLAN, J. B. GARDNER.

